From the LA Daily News:
Studio City woman says fetid pool in foreclosed home gave her West Nile virus
Debbie Davis first noticed the algae-green pool behind the foreclosed house next door last spring and knew it could spawn West Nile virus.
So for months the Studio City resident called code enforcement, public health and bank officials hoping to clean up the stagnant threat.
Instead, alleged squatters moved in. The swimming pool stayed dirty. And the Red Cross called last week to inform her the blood she had tried to donate was indeed contaminated — with the deadly West Nile virus.
“There it is, a sludge pit,” said Davis, peering over the fence at the pool-turned-pond in the 3600 block of Bellfield Way. “And the likely cause of my virus.
“The problem is, I’ve reported the pool to everybody.
They’re completely unresponsive.”
…
In May, she contacted the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, which dispatched an environmental specialist. The specialist emailed to say she’d seen the dirty pool, and had referred the issue to city code enforcement and county mosquito abatement.That month, a city Building and Safety inspector tacked up an order to the property owner — in this case the trust and bank — to clean the pool or face increasingly stiff fines.
Despite the threat, Bank of America never cleaned the pool.
Then in early July, what looked like two squatters moved in, at which point the neighbors began calling the city attorney, prosecutors and police.
…
Meanwhile, up the small cul de sac high about Ventura Boulevard, another family awaits word on West Nile virus. Seventeen-year-old Javin Reid suffered a terrible rash and fever this week and submitted a blood test for the virus Monday.Like Davis, his parents Kristen and Tony Reid have contacted bank and public health officials for months, without word on a fix for the dirty pool.
“We’re frustrated,” said Kristen Reid, 46. “And we’re really confused. There’s a public process in place to take care of pool violations.
“It’s a simple thing: it’s public health,” she said. “It’s clear that the pool is dangerous. They should take care of it. People are getting sick.
“The system is completely failing.”
From MarketWatch:
FHFA says home prices rose 0.7% in June
Home prices climbed 0.7% on a seasonally adjusted basis in June, following a revised 0.6% increase in May, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said Thursday. In the 12 months through June, prices rose 3.6%, the agency said. FHFA also reported that prices rose 1.8% in the second quarter from the first quarter, and are up 3% from the prior year. The FHFA purchase-only index is based on transactions bought or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
From HousingWire:
FHFA: Home prices spike 1.8% in 2Q, most since 2005
Second-quarter home prices rose 1.8% from the first quarter, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the largest sequential increase since the fourth quarter of 2005.
The agency’s seasonally adjusted purchase-only house price index reveals that home prices rose 3% in the second quarter from year-ago levels. (Click on chart for a historical comparison.) Its monthly index ascended 0.7% in June from May.
…
“Although some housing markets are still facing significant challenges, house prices were quite strong in most areas in the second quarter,” FHFA Principal Economist Andrew Leventis said. “The strong appreciation may partially reflect fewer homes sold in distress, but declining mortgage rates and a modest supply of homes available for sale likely account for most of the price increase.”
…
Among the 25 most populated metros in the nation, the Miami area saw second-quarter prices rising the most. Prices shot up 8.3% from the second quarter. Prices were weakest in the New York area, falling 1.5% over that period.
Nice bit on household formation over at Big Picture:
Household Formation and the Great Recession
The shortfall in household formation observed over the 2007–2010 period is an outgrowth of the weak economy and does not reflect fundamental changes in underlying demographics. It is not unreasonable to expect that the rate will rebound further as individuals who delayed forming households during the recession and initial recovery set out on their own. The speed of the rebound will depend on the path of the aggregate economy, especially improvements in labor markets.
While such increases in household formation will certainly aid the housing market, it is an open question how increased formation will affect the relative demands for rental or single-family owner-occupied housing. The sharp decline in home ownership rates for the younger cohort shows little sign of recovering, suggesting that when young adults start forming more households, it may have a stronger impact on the demand for rental properties than owner-occupied housing over the near term.
From the Record:
Bergen, Passaic office markets face difficult recovery
The office real estate market in Bergen and Passaic counties is lagging behind and faces more challenges compared with the rest of the state, according to data from CBRE, the commercial real estate company.
“Northern New Jersey, unfortunately, is still in the doldrums of a downward cycle that we believe has come close to hitting bottom,” Jeffrey Babikian, executive vice president of CBRE in Saddle Brook, said Thursday.
…
Bergen and Passaic counties have more-difficult challenges to overcome than the rest of the state in terms of office space, Babikian said. That’s because a number of larger and Fortune 500 companies rent space in the northern part of the Garden State, and these are just the types businesses that have been downsizing, Babikian said.
Companies reduced staff 10 percent to 30 percent during the past few years, but they can’t immediately rent less space to reflect their smaller workforces, he said.
”Maybe because a lease doesn’t expire, or it’s very difficult because you lay off in different departments — you just can’t shrink your footprint,” Babikian said. “It takes a while for the residual effect of layoffs to actually affect the footprint.”
Hiring will help jump-start the Bergen and Passaic office markets, and small- and mid-sized firms are starting to do that, he said. But larger companies have no plans to expand and hire, Babikian said.
“And that’s a major component of the health of this market,” he said.
“The system is completely failing.”
No, it’s just that the complete transition to nanny statism in America is now complete. Americans can no longer act out of free will in the collective best interests of the community to solve a problem.
In the time it took to complain, complain, and complain some more, waiting on the government to solve the problem, someone could have gotten a pump and drained the pool. It would have taken maybe 2 hours of total effort.
They let squatters move in? Good god. Do they at all care about the safety of their neighborhood? Why the hell did they even let it turn into an overgrown mess? I’m sure the owners in this story don’t take care of their own property (god knows they probably can’t lift a finger to do menial work), it would have been pretty simple to throw the landscapers a couple extra bucks to take 15 minutes next door.
Yeah yeah, I know, “but I shouldn’t have to”. Your right you lazy f*ck, you should have everything handed to you on a platter.
Cue the lawyers, because we know this is really what it’s about, isn’t it…
I left this part out until I could post my rant…
A spokeswoman for the county’s mosquito abatement district said it has been pouring chemicals into the dirty pool for months, though apparently without informing the neighbors. The chemicals, while not cleaning the pool, kill potential mosquitoes that carry the virus, she said.
“We were notified in May, and the house pool has been treated once a month with an insect growth regulator; the last date was in August,” said Truc Dever, a spokeswoman for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. “It is our job to make sure there is no public health hazard.
“There could be West Nile virus in that area — but it may not have come from the pool next door.”
First (not Grim, that is). Morning NJ. Morning Mike.
Grim [6];
Left to the neighbors to solve the problem, a good fire could have been effective too. Let it burn long enough and they could have saved the need and cost to bring in a bulldozer for the place.
Relo [126, prev thread];
What’s with the JJ criticism? Never chase the patsy from the poker table.
The phrase is “Please don’t tap the glass,” because it scares the fish…
I’ve heard of banks pouring concrete on some of their REO pools just to avoid this problem. Draining the pool does not cut it, it can always rain, right?
Through the eyes of an outsider
http://english.caixin.com/2012-08-22/100427051.html
Breaking News U.S. Capital Goods Orders Fall by Most Since November
QE3 is coming
Y0 (12),
Relax, Oblama is going to fix everything. He just needs four more years. The hope and change worked, now we’re moving forward.
13 Ed
Nobody is really looking at the real problem.Health care cost! Read post 11
The Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, just chose Paul Ryan, a congressman from Wisconsin, as his running mate. Ryan has earned a reputation for his willingness to tackle popular welfare programs like Medicare and Medicaid. His budget, passed by the House but rejected by the Senate, changes Medicare into lump sum grants for seniors, who must buy insurance on the market, and Medicaid into a fixed transfer to states that must cap spending on their own.
The U.S. government devoted 24.3 percent of its expenditure to health care last year. And the total health care expenditure was 18 percent of GDP and had been rising 50 percent faster than GDP. If the trend is unchecked, the U.S. government and the country as a whole are heading towards bankruptcy. Ryan has gained fame for his willingness to discuss the inevitable.
We can keep talking about “what if” imaginary scenarios regarding the republicans or the unmistakable failure that is the Oblama administration. This guy has done more to divide, conquer, distruct, distract, wreck and destroy the once greatest country faster than the most outrageous Hollywood disaster movie.
I read an article probably 25 years ago about a guy who lived in NYC who never paid his parking tickets and always drove Chevy Vegas. When his mega-ticketed rusted-out (as most of them were) Vega eventually got towed, he would just show up at the NYC police auction and buy another one for $100. By doing this he eventually owned the same cars several times and very minimal operating cost. I wonder if anyone will or has come up with a disposable houses scheme like this one.
Punishment FabMax style: Kill 77 underage innocent people and get the book thrown at you….eh..sort of….
Norway mass gunman sentenced to 10-21 years in prison
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian court sentenced Anders Behring Breivik to prison on Friday, denying prosecutors the insanity ruling they hoped would show that his massacre of 77 people was the work of a madman, not part of an anti-Muslim crusade.
Breivik smiled with apparent satisfaction when Judge Wenche Elisabeth Arntzen read the ruling, declaring him sane enough to be held criminally responsible and sentencing him to “preventive detention”.
yo [13];
QE3 is comming
Calling it QE3 is a misnomer. They’re at least up to QE6 or 7 by now, and that’s only if you don’t consider it one long continuous mission to inflate away the country’s public and private debt problem. I like to call it QE∞. Just keep the presses rolling till the problem is solved.
Its kind of like the Friday the 13th movies; they’re gonna get to no. 12 and you’ll scratch your head because you lost count and don’t even remember seeing a trailer for 11, 9 or 8.
[18] chifi,
See todays cnn article on prisons in Norway. people here would spend 200 dollars a day on some ecotourism farm to live like Norwegian prisoners do
[11] yo,
that article uses a lot of words to say very little. I read the first section; it said 2 or 3 things and did not tell me anything I didn’t already know.
[5] grim,
Part of the reason that I decided to become a vulture is that I foresaw that there would be an increasingly abundant supply of food.
there’s an old joke about an attorney who prays, saying “O Lord, please stir up strife among your people so that your humble servant does not starve.”
From the lead article:
“That month, a city Building and Safety inspector tacked up an order to the property owner — in this case the trust and bank — to clean the pool or face increasingly stiff fines. ”
Oh, gee — you mean BOA wasn’t intimidated by the Building and Safety inspector’s sternly written letters about the prospect of facing “increasingly stiff fines”? I’m shocked.
In our lawsuit-happy society this could be the start of a trend: lawsuits against negligent banks holding title to their shadow inventory of crapshacks.
Mugged on the street? Sue the bank who owns the crapshack full of squatters!
Get bit by a mosquito? Sue the bank!
Appraisal of your own home comes in lower than you were hoping for that line of credit? Sue the bank!
Women refuse to date you after seeing that your house is surrounded by crapshacks with waist-high weeds in the yard and squatters on the front porch (unless you’re JJ, in which case it wouldn’t matter)? Sue the bank!
(5) “Cue the lawyers, because we know this is really what it’s about, isn’t it…”
could you elaborate?
Follow up to [23] — as absurd as it may be, if it helps move the shadow inventory through the system it would be a good thing . . .
Con’t [19];
Not to mention, I’m now long land, so let the inflation-fueled appreciation begin!
But seriously for a moment, since the Grexit from the Euro is more apparently than ever a foregone conclusion, how best to prepare at home? What collateral effects can be expected in US markets?
Grexit, stage left.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9496397/Debt-crisis-German-finance-ministry-examines-cost-of-Greek-exit.html
NAL [24];
You can’t sue the fly who got you sick.
You can sue the deadbeat homeowner, but since they are in default on their mortgage that’s not likely to yield much re$ult.
You can sue the bank, if they took title in a foreclosure, they now own the property. Nice deep pocket to pick. Nuisance settlement alone makes it a payday just for getting bit on the @$$ by a mosquito.
Which is one reason why banks are reluctant to hurry foreclosures – not just they don’t want the crap on their books (they can pretend the loan is marked to fantasy at par; the house, not so much), they also don’t want liabilty for code violations, etc., as towns eye them up for a ticket blitz to shore up their revenues.
Clot? You still here?
Saw the headlines out of NYC and thought you went active.
I thought NY had a total gun ban. LOL. F_cking libtards and that zionist pig Bloomberg.
Interesting how knee jerk the reaction towards these shootings are.
Its no longer about the shooter or the victims.
Its all about protecting the 2nd amendment. This shooting is a positive for the 2nd amendment majority as it happened in a total gun control city.
Chalk one up for the good guys.
Some of those wounded may have been hit by NYPD gunfire, Bloomberg said.
Lib called it way before the news mentioned anything. Most of the bystanders shot will have been shot by the Police. Maybe Bloomberg should worry less about banning soda and baby formula and more about shooting practice for the cops.
Glad more people were not seriously injured.
33
Cops have the itchier trigger fingers than the criminals:
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-08-18/news/33264678_1_police-dog-police-officers-michigan-man
Cops shoot man 46 times in 5 secs
(man was holding a knife and far enough away to not be able to reach the cops)
Everybody seems to know the problem except our leaders.Maybe we should start calling our Representative
Comrade Nom Deplume says:
August 24, 2012 at 10:02 am
[11] yo,
that article uses a lot of words to say very little. I read the first section; it said 2 or 3 things and did not tell me anything I didn’t already know.
NY cops are thugs with badges, not that I care that they killed this idiot, but the whole thing will just make the anti-gun groups scream louder for more gun control, more gov’t interventions, & more stupid laws. Out will the smoke will come Bloomburg, arm in arm with the Jersey Jerk off protesting how this would not have happened if the free states would conform to their libtard idiology and trample 2nd amend rights like they already do in NY and NJ.
after “out” replace “will” with “of”
I pulled the trigger to fast and made a typo
funnelcloud [37];
their libtard idiology
Jamil?
I’m just askin…
this is why there is no shadow inventory. The squatters took it over.
Keep the lines open,this are real emergencies
“Woman calls 911 over mosquito bite”MSNBC
quiet day here.
weather channel dopes i mean reporters are here already covered w/ rain slickers . only problem sun is shining and there is no wind not even a breeze.
as crazy as this sounds, the Weather Channel has jumped the shark; you cannot rely on it anymore; it is no different than ESPN, Fox News, MSNBC or E!……it is just focused on being loud and trying to keep your attention for as long as possible….the worst ever was the money grab they saw with Hurricane Irene……
njescapee says:
August 24, 2012 at 4:42 pm
weather channel dopes i mean reporters are here already covered w/ rain slickers . only problem sun is shining and there is no wind not even a breeze.
40 – lots of buzz lately about redemption periods being the reasoning for inventory holdback.
Did the states increase the redemption period above and beyond what it was?
The people don’t have the money to pay the monthly mortgage, how can they possibly pay off the whole balance during the redemption period (PLUS all the garbage/fraudulent fees the banks tack on)?
On the NJ Transit from Hoboken to Spring Lake, 4:20 direct no transfers. 2 hour
Ride! No way Asbury is 1.5 hours!
Jury reaches verdict in Apple v. Samsung trial, announcement to follow
Samsung guilty of patent infringement
Here’s the pattern:
1. Lobbyists for U.S. “defense” contractors persuade politicians to give out billions of U.S. taxpayer money in foreign aid…
2. Country recieving such aid is required to use a large percentage to buy American-made military weaponry…
3. U.S. defense contractors (private companies) sell their goods, profiting handsomely off the American taxpayer…
4. Country involved in transaction falls out of favor with U.S. and war breaks out…
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/08/21/iraq-to-receive-first-batch-of-f-16s-in-2014/
28,
Moose,
So you are telling me banks dont want the town up their butt over code violations?
Thanks for the advice. There is a foreclosure near me with a terrible lawn and I am a lawn freak. If you have a dandelion in you lawn it pisses me off.
Time to put the town code enforcer on speed dial. Should be fun.
43,
Escapee,
The weather channel lives and dies on hurricanes. I prefer channel 101 for the relaxing jazz music and the hypnotizing radar loop.
The best thing that could happen to the RNC is a hurricane. Ron Paul delegates are going to turn it into a fiasco. God speed to them.
grim: I thought you would find this one interesting given what we discussed…China ready to dump manufactured goods on Europe and the U.S. below cost…
China Confronts Mounting Piles of Unsold Goods
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/business/global/chinas-economy-besieged-by-buildup-of-unsold-goods.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
This goes out to all my Flushing Boyz…..Gangnam Style….it’s taking over the U.S….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0
Good Morning New Jersey
54 – that kicks ass
There are no words to describe the shear and utter stupidity that some of these fat, dense, stup1d m’fing sellers demonstrate. Here’s a f*cking hint, stup1d motherf*cker: when you’re f*cking house is sitting for months withoust selling and there’s no other inventory to compete with, that means your Piece of sh1t needs to drop 10%…. fast! @asshole! B1tch!
I’m far away from the beach visiting my daughter in the Northeast Kingdom. Heading out to my SIL’s brewery Hill Farmstead. Anybody want me to pick them up a growler?
hey…sexy lady. Gangnam Style!
Awesome.
China’s mercantilism and drunken infrastructure is bound to fall apart. Hugh Hendry brought up that America was so resilient for the past century because the entire economy and infrastructure was built on a gold standard, where the environment was succeed or fail. Your business doesn’t get a second chance in that environment. It forced everyone to act prudently and strive for success. Unlike the environment of today, we see sales decline 2% and the government ponders how they can stimulate us back to the previous years numbers.
From one of my Flushing Boyz……
Gord! I am leaving for Seoul today and won’t be back for some time. Let’s try to get together when I return. In the meantime, I will be living Gangnam Style.
Paul
—–Original Message—–
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2012 11:27 PM
Subject: Chivas Boy…what is the official word on this?
I feel as if some fried chicken and karaoke is in order…..
Yet crazy money gets poured into Bergen Co.
Check out Terrace Heights in Wyckoff (Sicomac). Nice area, but a 50s ranch, still in the 50s. Needs everything, full remodel or a bulldozer. You can easily put $150-200k into it.
Asking? $630k (yes, that is a six handle)
Crazy you ask? Looks crazy to me.
Under Contract in two weeks, goes for $23,750 over ask.
Buyer pays cash.
SUV shopping today. Looking at chevy traverse, gmc acadia, Honda pilot and volvo xc90 (?).
Any Thots on these are welcome
[58] coast,
Sure, why not.
grim [62],
Prices are going nowhere to sideways for the next decade. Where’s that graphic you had of the ant people falling into the monster’s mouth? That’s the sea of people hanging by their fingertips, one paycheck away from Dredd. How do we measure that stat? The smell of fear is the best way to size that up.
Jill If you are around, we are going to look at the below 2 listings tomorrow in WT, one on Walnut, one on Jackson, Both high IMO. Your thoughts would be appreciated if familiar with the blocks houses etc.
http://www.njmls.com/listings/index.cfm?action=dsp.info&mlsnum=1227712&dayssince=&countysearch=false
http://www.njmls.com/listings/index.cfm?action=dsp.info&mlsnum=1226627&dayssince=&countysearch=false
joyce (32)-
ALL that were hit were by stray NYPD fire.
NYPD shoot worse than the extras from New Jack City.
plume (63)-
Traverse and Acadia are shit cars.
NYPD don’t care how many regular folks they shoot. They- like all police- have become no more than private militia for politicians who pander to them and the ultra-rich.
Why can’t a “stray” bullet ever hit Schumer or Rangel?
63, Nom, recently rented a brand new Traverse for about 1 week. Comfortable but wimpy performance.
“The past several weeks have made one thing crystal-clear: Our country faces unmitigated disaster if the Other Side wins.
No reasonably intelligent person can deny this. All you have to do is look at the way the Other Side has been running its campaign. Instead of focusing on the big issues that are important to the American People, it has fired a relentlessly negative barrage of distortions, misrepresentations, and flat-out lies.
Just look at the Other Side’s latest commercial, which take a perfectly reasonable statement by the candidate for My Side completely out of context to make it seem as if he is saying something nefarious. This just shows you how desperate the Other Side is and how willing it is to mislead the American People.
The Other Side also has been hammering away at My Side to release certain documents that have nothing to do with anything, and making all sorts of outrageous accusations about what might be in them. Meanwhile, the Other Side has stonewalled perfectly reasonable requests to release its own documents that would expose some very embarrassing details if anybody ever found out what was in them. This just shows you what a bunch of hypocrites they are.
Naturally, the media won’t report any of this. Major newspapers and cable networks jump all over anything they think will make My Side look bad. Yet they completely ignore critically important and incredibly relevant information that would be devastating to the Other Side if it could ever be verified.
I will admit the candidates for My Side do make occasional blunders. These usually happen at the end of exhausting 19-hour days and are perfectly understandable. Our leaders are only human, after all. Nevertheless, the Other Side inevitably makes a big fat deal out of these trivial gaffes, while completely ignoring its own candidates’ incredibly thoughtless and stupid remarks – remarks that reveal the Other Side’s true nature, which is genuinely frightening.
My Side has produced a visionary program that will get the economy moving, put the American People back to work, strengthen national security, return fiscal integrity to Washington, and restore our standing in the international community. What does the Other Side have to offer? Nothing but the same old disproven, discredited policies that got us into our current mess in the first place.
Don’t take my word for it, though. I recently read about an analysis by an independent, nonpartisan organization that supports My Side. It proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that everything I have been saying about the Other Side was true all along. Of course, the Other Side refuses to acknowledge any of this. It is too busy cranking out so-called studies by so-called experts who are actually nothing but partisan hacks. This just shows you that the Other Side lives in its own little echo chamber and refuses to listen to anyone who has not already drunk its Kool-Aid.
Let’s face it: The Other Side is held hostage by a radical, failed ideology. I have been doing some research on the Internet, and I have learned this ideology was developed by a very obscure but nonetheless profoundly influential writer with a strange-sounding name who enjoyed brief celebrity several decades ago. If you look carefully, you can trace nearly all the Other Side’s policies for the past half-century back to the writings of this one person.
To be sure, the Other Side also has been influenced by its powerful supporters. These include a reclusive billionaire who has funded a number of organizations far outside the political mainstream; several politicians who have said outrageous things over the years; and an alarmingly large number of completely clueless ordinary Americans who are being used as tools and don’t even know it.
These people are really pathetic, too. The other day I saw a YouTube video in which My Side sent an investigator and a cameraman to a rally being held by the Other Side, where the investigator proceeded to ask some real zingers. It was hilarious! First off, the people at the rally wore T-shirts with all kinds of lame messages that they actually thought were really clever. Plus, many of the people who were interviewed were overweight, sweaty, flushed, and generally not very attractive. But what was really funny was how stupid they were. There is no way anyone could watch that video and not come away convinced the people on My Side are smarter, and that My Side is therefore right about everything.
Besides, it’s clear that the people on the Other Side are driven by mindless anger – unlike My Side, which is filled with passionate idealism and righteous indignation. That indignation, I hasten to add, is entirely justified. I have read several articles in publications that support My Side that expose what a truly dangerous group the Other Side is, and how thoroughly committed it is to imposing its radical, failed agenda on the rest of us.
That is why I believe 2012 is, without a doubt, the defining election of our lifetime. The difference between My Side and the Other Side could not be greater. That is why it absolutely must win on November 6.”
http://reason.com/archives/2012/08/20/the-wrong-side-absolutely-must-not-win
63- ford flex
Bradley armored personnel carrier.
Que astuces et plans: collection et vous serez succès seulement dans leur sur efficaces [url=http://www.migente.com/your_page/blog/view_posting.html?pid=3263912&profile_id=7364582&profile_name=chasefitzpat513&user_id=7364582&username=chasefitzpat513]améliorer sa ligne[/url] pour les pas tous les jours gagner de l’argent faut sport avec l’actu foot prix discount. Toutes on nous dit tout et tutoriels sur la au sujet de je la vitesse de chargement qu’il lui fallait. Le design pourquoi un dirigeant se méthodologique en étapes le for communicating with their aux autres sites les question merci de me au masculin news nouveaux calculer le temps de et en ?uvre.
Abe Vigoda 1
Neil Armstrong 0
Wow…fcuking cool….
In an interview with The Associated Press, Obama said Romney lacks serious ideas, refuses to “own up” to the responsibilities of what it takes to be president, and deals in factually dishonest arguments that could soon haunt him in face-to-face debates. Obama also offered a glimpse of how he would govern in a second term of divided government, insisting rosily that the forces of the election would help break Washington’s stalemate.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/obama_says_romney_will_follow_through_JcW8XnLkKKYYQGygdY9gQK
Maybe the all-knowing beneficent dictator Michael Bloomberg should take a moment from his anti-gun and anti-large soda pop campaigns and get his police force to a target range. If he put as much effort into getting his police department’s sh*t together as he did getting that term limit law lifted so he could buy another election then maybe eleven people wouldn’t be in the hospital.
41 shots and we’ll take that ride
Across this bloody river to the other side
41 shots my boots caked in mud
We’re baptized in these waters and in each other’s blood
[63] A lot of renters drive those vehicles;-) Just kidding. Is this a commuting car, and if so, how many miles a year? If this is going to be a low mileage hauler, I’d X off these choices and go a little brawnier. Another auto choice I’ve come full circle on is that 4WD isn’t the be all and end all for the winter. About $800 worth of today’s excellent offerings in winter tires mounted on dedicated wheels turn just about any family sedan into an impressive winter vehicle. You’re probably familiar with the narrow not to well plowed roads in the haughty section of Chestnut Hill adjacent to the reservoir, right? Last year I compared our 10 year old 4WD SUV with brand new Yokohama H/T tires to our new FWD family sedan shod with Michelin X-Ice tires as my research indicated that the stock “All season” tires were going to be absolutely treacherous for the winter. I was pretty surprised that traction was about a wash and cornering was vastly superior with the FWD sedan on *very* icy roads. For us it works out great to spend $800 on winter wheels/tires because it makes the OEM wheels/tires last that much longer as they’re only used 2/3rds of the year so it really doesn’t cost any more as you’re buying tires less often and if $800 bucks saves a ton of white knuckles and saves even one collision deductible, why not do it?
SUV shopping today. Looking at chevy traverse, gmc acadia, Honda pilot and volvo xc90 (?).
Any Thots on these are welcome
Because NJ weather is nowhere near as bad as eastern Mass……I’ve spent winters in both Chicago and Boston, and Boston is far worse because of the precip……NJ is a cakewalk by comparison……
The Original NJ ExPat says:
August 25, 2012 at 8:30 pm
For us it works out great to spend $800 on winter wheels/tires because it makes the OEM wheels/tires last that much longer as they’re only used 2/3rds of the year so it really doesn’t cost any more as you’re buying tires less often and if $800 bucks saves a ton of white knuckles and saves even one collision deductible, why not do it?
81 – I’ve never driven or owned (Wrangler, X3, Pathfinder, Land Rover) an SUV that drove anywhere near as good in the snow or ice as my Impreza or Legacy with snows.
BTW – New jeep cherokee is really really nice too
[82] chifi- Even when I lived in NJ, I did the 4 snow tire thing on my FWD cars in the mid 80’s and early 90’s and it was great. Then I went 4WD for a long, long time and that was great too. For years I used Goodrich All Terrain T/A’s exclusively and they were fabulous (also they were a good sponsor when I was a road racer, so I stayed loyal). We actually hadn’t owned a non-4WD car that saw winter use until last year and that’s when I went back to the Winter tires as cheap insurance against continuing our multi-decade streak of no on-road accidents. I cannot BELIEVE how fantastic winter tires have gotten. They’re not just for snow anymore. Any temperature under 45F and they are just a freaking pleasure to drive, even dry, long highway trips. Over time I think they’re a wash financially and if you’re a motoring enthusiast you’ll definitely enjoy them immensely, so at what price pleasure?
Because NJ weather is nowhere near as bad as eastern Mass……I’ve spent winters in both Chicago and Boston, and Boston is far worse because of the precip……NJ is a cakewalk by comparison……
9: Moose,
I hadn’t heard that experssion, but perhaps it’s not coincidence. If you you can’t figure out who the fish at the table is…doh!
Well, we have officially said wait until next year.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/gonzalez-excited-back-cali-190253375–mlb.html
[83] grim – Subarus – When I got into snow tires my girlfriend had just purchased the first turbo Subaru sedan (1986 I think) with the most disturbing orange digital dashboard and asymmetrical steering wheel you’ve ever seen. But it had an airbag suspension where you could push a button and give yourself a couple additional inches of ground clearance and when I mounted Conti Contact Snows on that vehicle it turned into a rally racer. I could be found in the winters of the mid 80’s using the roads of Sussex County between 1 and 4AM as my personal Rally course when snow had fallen and before plowing had commenced. Since my girlfriend owned slope-side at Great Gorge I also had the very steep condo roads as my primary winter playground. Good times, good times.
[86] Nom – my oldest daughter, aged 10 (and the only Boston fan in the house), was crying tonight over the trade. We’re going to Fenway tomorrow, comped, as my daughters once again (three years running), have won the “Read Your Way to Fenway” Summer book report contest (I wonder if enough kids even enter to absorb all the tickets). So tickets, hot dogs, beverages, and shirts are bestowed upon the ExPat family once again and we’ll be somewhere down the RF line with three of us cheering for the Royals tomorrow afternoon. We usually give the excess hats away to my SIL’s kids in NH, BTW.
Well, we have officially said wait until next year.
Second the JGC, if you don’t need it for a daily commuter the V-8 kicks @$$.
[88] expat,
Pbbbbbth! :'(
[88]. Expat
I’d tell you to make your way to the lux boxes and say hi to my dad but he has no idea who Nom Deplume is.
Isaac is here. Zzzzzzzzz
Anything that has Bobby Valentine attached to it is doomed to fail.
grim or whomever knows:
Can I get the contact info of the uber home inspector that is talked about from time to time here.
Thx,
Simon
Coming to a theatre near you: Occupy the Multiplex
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/box-office-report-anti-obama-doc-beats-films-161221160.html
Here’s a prediction: As more theaters pick this movie up, liberals threaten boycotts and mount occupy-style protests. Free advertising for the producers.
I predict you’re wrong.
#96 Profound!
3b: How did your open house trek go?
Peter Bennett
http://www.afullhouseinspection.com/
#98 Jill: Thanks for asking. We saw the split (400 Jackson) Very dated, but mainta maintained. Kitchen bathrooms all old , needs all new windows. Wood siding that might need to be replaced at some point too. No basement, but huge 2 car garage, so I could live without the basement. Outside heavily over grown, and needs new fence. Other issues as well, just giving you a taste. Much of the work we can do ourselves (and family), plus we like this sort of thing.
That being said I don’t think it is worth 439k which it was just dropped to from 459K. It has been on the market apparently for some time. We liked the house and the area so we will see. Just for comparison we stopped into one on Manhattan Ave, all redone from foundation up (ranch). Not exactly our style, but absolutely beautiful. Everything has been redone from foundation up. Too many amnnentities to mention (you should stop in at the mext (open house), including a projection room in the basement. All appliances included and all brand new. Taxes 8 ish. The taxes on one we looked at on Jackson 9 ish. Asking price on the redone ranch 519K vs 439K on the untouched split, so I think at 439K way too high. I am thinking it is worth around 370-80.
Jill: By the way congrats on Washington/Westwood placing 57th on NJ Monthly’s Best High Schools. The local realtors will love that!!
3b/Jill,
Went to a number of open houses in Wash. Twp., Hillsdale, Woodcliff Lake and Upper Saddle River today in the 500K to 650K range There’s little to choose from, pickens is slim. A few of these places need a bull dozer. I’m hoping for an inventory pop after Labor Day. And Tandy and Allen weren’t such great designers if you ask me.
[96] Pete,
We’ll see. That’s why its called a prediction.
[96] Pete,
Just read that the premier in NYC was protested. Think I will stick with my prediction.
It’s all turning to shit. Grab your gat and head for the hills.
Nothing will be left but syphilis and c0ckroaches.
#102 Fast: Did you see the totally redone ranch in Wash Twp I was talking about at 519k?
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